Sri Lanka made Billions from SupremeSAT without spending – PM

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated in Parliament yesterday (August 6) that the Government of Sri Lanka had not spent any money on the “SupremeSAT Communication Satellite Project,” which is said to have operated under the supervision of Rohitha Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

She further mentioned that the project has generated billions of rupees in revenue for Sri Lanka.

The Prime Minister made these remarks in response to a question raised in Parliament by MP D. V. Chanaka regarding the matter.

Providing further clarification, Prime Minister Amarasuriya explained that in response to the question about the investment made in the communication satellite operated by SupremeSAT, which is a company affiliated with Supreme Global, during the years 2011 and 2012, the company had entered into an agreement with the Board of Investment (BOI) of Sri Lanka on May 23, 2012.

She stated that during the 2013–2014 period, SupremeSAT, under this agreement, invested a total of Rs. 12,104,936 in the communication satellite project.

According to the investment application, the Sri Lankan government did not contribute any funds to the project. Under Clause 17 of the BOI Act, the investment was categorized as a project targeting the local market.

Citing BOI data, the Prime Minister added that SupremeSAT had paid an average of Rs. 20 billion annually in dividends to the Sri Lankan government from 2015 to the first half of 2023.